Advent Lying
by millenium-writer
Summary: At long last the Seekers would be brought to justice. With but only their final gambit to deal with Gideon Wyeth needs only to overcome all odds and survive. But fate has one last surprise to bestow upon him seeing is not aways believing. Is it the truth?
1. Chapter 1

The pale figure drifted in on thin air, long robes fluttering behind and beneath as the harsh light behind it faded. Glancing for but a moment at Gideon before addressing the council. "This drama has gone on for long enough. You look upon a true human my children, your collective histories, your countless religions, all bear witness to me. You know this to be true. The beauty of my divine form has been worshipfully rendered by your artist since time immemorial, This small hairy thing-"

Stunned as he was, Gideon still bristled at that.

"-Which stands before you today is the pathetic of remnant of an over ambitious race which were too proud to worship me and my kind. They even dared to emulate our divine forms. This crude blasphemy--this sacrilege--was too abhorrent for us to allow. They were warned, they were commanded, yet still these arrogant fools ignored our council. We concluded that only the most stringent actions could end this order."

The counsel broke into a low gurgle of murmuring that quickly died as the figure spoke on.

"We enlisted the faithful N'Kul--whom you aptly herald as Seekers--and commanded them to clean this arrogant race from off the face of our galaxy. I come here before you today to absolve them of any crimes. I come here for another reason as well, my children, to return from the shadows of power, to retake our throne of stars, to rule our scattered children once more." The androgynous figure raised it's hands and it's voice. "Rejoice, my children, for your gods have returned."

Enorym stepped forward, cutting his hand through the air in a firm denial. "No, This is a lie! I have seen the true power of humanity. This creature intends to deceive us-" A sudden blast of telekinetic force cut him of before he could finish, knocking him off of his feet, and sending him tumbling across the chamber.

"No! Enorym!"

Lifting it's pale arms above it's head, the light all about it seemed to dim, to gather in on itself, shifting to bright yellow. Coalescing into a sphere nearly a meter across, it was flung down, clearly with the intent of finishing Enorym off.

Moving rapidly to stand between them, Gideon lashed out with a fist, focusing his energy through his arm and outwards to repulse the globe of power away before it could bring any harm to his friend. "Not again. I'm not losing anyone again!"

The next few minutes of life, had he the chance to think about it, could be described as a fantastically deadly game of chess. Every move had a counter move, and every counter had a counter to it too. Massive shards of stone were flung at him, and he dove and flipped, narrowly avoiding them.

Smaller, much sharper rocks came, faster than the big ones, and he conjured shields of shimmering transparent light to block them. Waves of force, much bigger than he himself could produce, swept the chamber from side to side, and he wrapped his shields about himself in a dome, barely holding the immense power at bay.

Worst of all was those blasts of darkened light. The first he had deflected, before the fight had really began, so the next had caught him off guard. He had barely got a shield up in time, and it still knocked him halfway up the length of the chamber. The sheer strength of the impact had knocked him senseless, but the distance he had covered gave him enough time to gather his wits.

Just as a third blast rushed at him.

This time, Gideon was ready for it, and with a wave of his hand, a blast of telekinetic force rocketed the attack back at it's creator. His triumphant smile died as the sphere was deflected back at him.

It seemed that two could play the game.

Out of desperation, Gideon swatted the rippling orb back again and again, and each time he did, he found it harder and harder to repulse. It was if the blast was growing stronger, feeding off of the respective energies they were moving it with. _In that case, let's see what happens when I hit it with everything I've got!_ Raising both hands, Gideon summoned all his power, every last scrap of energy he had, and projected it into the incredibly heavy ball of energy.

For a moment, it didn't seem to have any effect, as if the human had waited to long to make his last gambit. But slowly, oh so slowly, the sphere ground to a halt, hung there in the air for a moment, then began moving back. Gradually, it drifted towards the hovering figure, picking up tremendous speed in the short time it took to travel back. Racing back, it was halfway down the chamber, and then suddenly, it _was there_, slamming into the pale, hairless creature with enough force to rock battered chamber.

Letting out an agonized scream, the figure writhed a moment before crashing down to the chamber floor, thrashing about in pain. After the sound died away, the figure struggled to raise itself, slowly lifting from the chamber floor under it's own power, raising it's blood smeared head to look at the human, trembling.

"You have the face of someone I once loved... But you are not them." Feeling a familiar heat deep within his chest, Gideon closed his eyes, and again gave into the feeling of raw power burning his being from the inside out. Levitating into the air, surrounded by a pillar of yellow-orange light, a burst of pure energy washed over his body, making the massive council chamber shudder yet again.

Quickly floating back to the floor, his conscious mind delved deep within, probing the new font of power that he had unlocked.

By this time, the pale being's shaking has ceased, and it rose a little higher. "I tire of this. Give my regards to oblivion." Again, darkness seemed to surround the pale figure, this time in the form of vertical distortions that made the air about it seem to shiver. Raising a hand and pointing it straight at the mere human a gathering of violet light wrapped about it's fingers and began to grow.

Lifting his head, Gideon opened his eyes. He _knew_ exactly what to do with his newfound power. Raising an arm, he concentrated forward, and the purple light wrapped around the being's hand began to grow brighter and brighter, spreading outward to envelop it's _entire body_.

Startled by the sudden flow of energy, the creature looked about, realizing that the very air about it was _filled_ with purple light, all flowing in to wrap about it. "Wait- what're you-" The chamber shook once more, the most violent quake the building had witnessed yet, and it continued to go on. "Stop!"

Gideon growled out a single word. "No." Snapping his hand closed, the vibrant waves of light jerked inwards, and the pale being's limbs distorted, warped, and crumpled in on it's torso. Gideon had created a gravitational flux so strong, that even the light of the chamber itself was being drawn into it. And the _creature_ was at it's center.

There was a sickening _crunch_ as it's frame collapsed in on itself, and a horrible, guttural cry, and a bright flash of light that blotted out the horrible sight.

Lowering his arm, Gideon Wyeth, nearly the last of his kind, let out a sigh, and hung his head. _At last... It's over._ But the chamber continued to tremble."Huh?" Raising his head, his eyes widened in shock.

A flash of violet light, and a vertical gap rent the air, quickly widening to half fill the chamber. A flash of light snaked across the floor, pooling around the human's feet, and continuing along behind him. Without warning, a sudden force yanked Gideon off of his feet, and hauled him through the air, pulling him into the rift.

Massive chunks of stone were yanked in for a few, scant seconds, and then there was another bright flash.

And two figures dropped to the ground.

One was Gideon Wyeth, a little battered, but none worse for the wear. And the other, who held the human in his arms...

Was a man in a bright yellow shirt belted at the waist, and dark pants bound from knee to ankle in red cords. Dark bangs spilled over his pale face as he looked down at the human, staring with large green eyes.

"You're..." Gideon stared up at the face, he knew what this creature was. "...Human."

"Yeah, close enough." Smiling, he tilted his head to the side, revealing a hint of yellow, something bound about his forehead. "This wouldn't happen to be Earth, now would it?"


	2. Chapter 2

Apologies for the long gap between chapters, but I had totally forgotten that I had written this thing.

Whoops.

So, yes. Credit to whomever voted on my poll to have this updated. You're the reason why chapter two exists.

Hope you like it.

-

Gideon Wyeth stared up at the face of his rescuer. "You're... Human."

"Yeah, close enough." Smiling, he tilted his head to the side. Long dark bangs spilled over his pale face, revealing a strip of bright yellow cloth bound about the man's forehead. "This wouldn't happen to be Earth, now would it?"

"No, it's not." Gideon's mind was a buzz with questions. "Who are you?"

"Who're you?" Still smiling, the man shifted Gideon in his arms, lowering his feet to the ground and slipping an arm about his waist to support him.

Gingerly testing his legs, to see if they would hold him upright, Gideon took a fistful of the man's colorful shirt as a handhold to steady himself. "I asked you first."

"Yeah, but I asked you second. Mine's a counter, and therefore trumps yours." Turning his head, he looked about the massive, and utterly ruined chamber. "Wow, did I ever miss a good party." Here and there, various beings were either climbing to their feet, or being helped by others who were picking through the rubble for survivors.

"That's- you can't just- woah... I don't feel so..." Eyelids drooping, Gideon didn't feel his knees buckle as the room lurched and swam around him. Everything started to go dim, and then he felt a hand slap him on the chest.

It _burned_.

His chest, not the hand. It burned from the inside out, filling his body, and he felt lighter somehow. _I know what this is, but-_

"Feelin' better now?" Pulling his hand away, he lifted Gideon's chin with a finger, staring at his face intently with those wide green eyes of his.

"Yeah, but- _what are you_?" He couldn't be human, could he? Then again, he looked more human than that- that _thing_ he had fought a minute ago. _Maybe there's more to these powers than I know. I had thought I had hit the top, but maybe I was wrong._

"I'm a lot of things." He searched Gideon's face for a moment longer, then his shoulders sagged, and he sighed. "Y'can call me Mato, if you're gonna keep giving me those misty eyes like that."

"Mato? That's it? That's all?" _Just a one word name? I must be getting spoiled by everything else I've gone through. I was hoping for something a little more..._

"Dramatic?" Mato, whatever he was really called, tilted his head to the side.

"What?"

"The fight. Was it dramatic? Worth the property damage?"

"Uh, I guess you could say that." Planting his feet firmly beneath him, Gideon stood under his own power, stepping away from the strange man. "I didn't realize we did so much damage." Turning away, he looked around the chamber. He hadn't gotten a really good look before the fight had broken out, but it had seemed like a really nice design scheme. _For a second there, I thought he was a mind reader or something._

"Yeah, well, that'll happen." Tucking his hands into his pockets, Mato glanced about. "Weird, I don't recognize a single thing here. I guess I really did take a wrong turn back there."

"A wrong turn? Where did you come from?" Gideon turned back to look at him, suddenly feeling uneasy about this new face. _I've got a bad feeling, like something's going to happen._

"Hrm, let's not talk about this here, ok?" Removing a hand from his pocket, he slapped it down on Gideon's shoulder. "What say we hit the roof, ne?"

"What're y-"

The chamber vanished in a flash of bright light.

"-ou talking ab- woah." They weren't in the ruined chamber anymore.

"Heh, nice view." Mato let his hand slip from Gideon's shoulder, tucking it back into his pocket.

"Yeah." Nodding, Gideon stared at the massive city sprawled out before him, stretching out in all directions to the horizon. Ships of all sizes flew through the sky, merging into lanes that weaved through the towering buildings that rose up impossibly high over the rest of the city. "So, how and why'd you bring me up here?"

"Well, I figured that she wouldn't just show herself in a crowded place like that. Plus, I figured you'd wanna tag along and see for yourself." Mato's long dark bangs fluttered in the cool breeze that whipped about the roof of the senate building, his thick braid wagging slightly as he moved his head to look off to the side.

"She? She who? See what?" Gideon was baffled, not only by the sudden change of location, but the roundabout way Mato spoke. _I hope this isn't how he normally talks, I'm getting a headache._

Freeing a hand from his pocket, he crossed the arm over his chest, and pointed a single finger in the direction he was looking. "Her."

"But I don't-"

**He can't see me.**

"Hmm? Oh, whoops. Well, no matter, he can hear you just fine."

Gideon could. It felt like the loudest bass he had ever felt in his life, like the time when he had blown out his parent's entertainment center by playing music and cranked up the bass to maximum. The voice thrummed through his entire being, but he didn't hear anything, save the wind, and the sound of his clothes being ruffled by it.

"And..." Mato smiled, and lightly slapped his hand down on Gideon's shoulder. "Now he can see you too."

There was a flicker of heat, a tingling in his eyes, and then he _could_ see her too. _Woah._ It wasn't as if she had appeared out of thin air either. No, it was more like she had always been there, and he had just noticed her now.

She was a petite girl, with long blonde hair that trailed down to brush the hem of her white, shin length dress. Barefoot, she stood there with her hands clasped, staring at them with very wide, very deep, blue eyes.

"So, you wanted to say something to me?" Once more, Mato slipped his hand into his pocket, turning a bit to stand face-on at the girl.

**Why have y-**

"Woah, woah, woah. Turn down the voice of power already. I'm not deaf." Frowning, he stared at the girl for a moment, then added: "Well, not _yet_ anyways."

Giving Mato an irritated look, the girl opened her mouth. "Why have you shown yourself to me?" 

"What can I say? I was curious to know who was peeking in like that." Grinning, he nodded towards Gideon. "Plus, that spike that drew me here sure as hell wasn't _him_."

_Wait, so he's saying..._ "You're saying that, that...' Gideon trailed off for a moment, trying to hold fast to his train of thought. It was hard, since possibilities were flying through his mind at lightspeed. "You're saying that _she_ was the one that made me-"

"Glow like an over-sized firefly?" Grinning, Mato nodded, still watching the girl. "Yup pretty much."

"This is big." Gideon put a hand to his forehead, trying to understand what it ment exactly. _That means that she's been watching me since at _least_ after home was- after I left. That's- that's a long time to watch, without saying a thing._

"World shaking revelation?" Mato arched an eyebrow, leaning over and turning a little to watch Gideon's expression.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Ah, well... You'll get used to it." Turning back to look at the girl again, he smiled. "So, yeah. I don't like people watching me without saying hello first. So here we are." He let that hang in the air for a moment. "So whadya want with the kid?"

Serenity frowned, staring at the two. "I need him."

"... Yeah... I figured that much." Staring vacantly at her, Mato made a little gesture with one hand, hinting for her to continue. "... Go on."

A long, and mildly uncomfortable silence filled the air. All three of them stood there, motionless, simply staring at each other.

Finally, one of them got sick of it.

"Yeah, screw this. I'm not really in the mood to be standin' around all day." Turning to look at Gideon, he nudged his shoulder. "You got things to take care of inside?"

"Things? I don't- Marin!" Gideon's eyes widened in shock. He was surprised that he could forget about his friend so easily. "I've gotta make sure she's ok!" Turning, Gideon started to run, slowed to a walk, and finally, just stopped. "Um... Where's the stairs?"

"What?" Mato turned, and looked around for a moment. "Oh for- stupid, super-advanced races. How hard is it to make a damn staircase?" Walking over to Serenity, he hooked a finger into the neckline of her dress, and tugged a little. "Got your attention? Good. You stay here. Don't run off on me, or I'll be cranky." Pulling his hand away, he started after Gideon. "Seriously, we've got a lot to talk about, and I'll be pissed if you just run off and hide, got it?"

"So, what was tha- hey!" Cut off, Gideon kicked his legs, surprised. That was understandable, since Mato had decided it was ok to grab him around the waist, and carry him off. "Put me down! I've got legs for a reason!"

"Yeah, but if I did, there's no way you'd ever agree to this."

"Agree to wh- oh no. No way. Do-"

And with that, Mato jumped off the edge of the roof, Gideon in tow.

Alone, and for the moment, forgotten, Serenity stood there. She didn't move, or make a sound. The wind whistled about her, and yet it didn't seem to affect her hair, nor her dress. After a few minutes, she slowly lowered her head, and stared at the neckline of her dress. "... Should it be lower?"

-

Marin Steel was not having the best day of her life. Not the worst day either, considering all the things she had lived through, but today wouldn't be making it into the top ten anytime soon.

Sighing, Marin tied another knot into the hem of her dress. Once, it had flowed out, light as silk when she walked, and clung tight to her curvy body when she stood still. She didn't know exactly what it was made out of, but she did know that it made her look drop dead gorgeous.

Now, it was torn, dirty where it wasn't stained black, and hanging in shreds. She did her best to salvage it by tying the torn strips together into a make-shift skirt, but she had to face facts. Sexy was not something she could pull off again today, not without a shower and change of wardrobe.

Along with these, and other important revelations, a thought occurred to her. _Where the hell is Gideon?_

-

Gideon Wyeth would have been flattered to know that Marin was thinking about him, if he hadn't been in the middle of falling to his death. "Auuuuggghhhh!"

"Oh relax. It's only a couple of miles up."

"How can you be so _calm?_" Twisting a bit, Gideon turned to stare at the other doomed man. At the moment, said doomed man was lounging comfortably with his hands folded behind his head. "We're going to _die!_"

"Please. Don't tell me you haven't fallen from at least this far up before." Crossing his legs, Mato leaned back a little, trying to relax. With Gideon screaming in his ear, it wasn't an easy task.

"Yeah, into _water!_ That's solid pavement down there!" Pointing forcefully, Gideon began to tumble head over heels from all the flailing about he was doing.

"So? Didn't you take physics? Water doesn't compress." Turning his head, Mato measured the distance they had already traveled. "It's just as solid at the ground down there is."

Startled, Gideon tumbled upright once more, realizing that that was true. _If that's the case, then there's a trick to surviving this, right? Gotta think it through._ Spreading his arms and legs out, Gideon ceased his chaotic tumbling, and stared at the ground as it slowly rushed towards him. _If it's the same as the water, will the barrier trick work again? No, not as well. If I slowed down enough in water, sooner or later it would break the fall._

"Better think faster, the ground's coming up quick."

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Gideon's mind raced for a solution that didn't equal death. _Could I slow time down enough to- no, that wouldn't work. It's not really time slowing down as much as it is me speeding up. I don't think I'm durable enough to just try and land it on my own, either. Oh, of course._ Craning his head back, he looked at Mato. "What's the trick?"

Grinning, Mato wagged a finger at him. "Smart, ask for help when you're stumped. Good call." Stretching out his legs, Mato rotated until he was standing upright. "Ok, you'd better hang onto me for this one."

Nodding, Gideon wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders, hanging on tight. "What're you going to do?"

"The simplest answer." Reaching out, Mato pressed his hands against the side of the council building as it raced past.

Gideon jerked against his back as they suddenly began to slow down. _Friction? He's using friction to slow us down? But that would turn his hands to- _Gideon stared upwards, noting the distinct lack of bloody streaks on the white surface. _Oh, that's right. I'm durable enough to survive taking a plasma blast to the chest and keep on fighting. Tough enough to survive partial re-entry through the atmosphere. Why would a little friction burn affect me now? We're the same. I should've guessed._

"Whoops! I see a short cut!" Kicking off from the wall, Mato tumbled about, shifting Gideon so he was falling along-side him.

"Are you NUTS?!" Flailing his limbs again, Gideon looked down just in time to land on his feet. "Guh!" On the roof of what looked like this world's equivalent of a flying Police cruiser.

After a few seconds, the hatch opened up, and a uniformed alien looked at the pair. His expression, was most understandably shocked.

"Afternoon officer!" Flashing the alien a big grin, Mato threw in a polite wave too. "My little buddy here could use a ride back inside this big building there." Standing up, he brushed himself off, and waved at Gideon. "I'll see you later. Don't forget, we need a spaceship, and a good pilot." Turning, Mato lept off of the hovering craft.

"Wh- what the heck do we need that stuff for?" Gideon scrambled on his hands and knees to the edge of the craft, peering down at the ground. Wherever he went, Mato was nowhere to be seen, no matter how hard Gideon looked.

After a minute or so, Gideon scrambled back over to the still stunned officer. "So, how about that ride?" He forced a wide grin, much like the one Mato had wore a few moments ago.

-

"Hello? Oh good, you didn't run off on me." Tucking his hands into his pockets, Mato ambled over to Serenity. "Uh, why're you staring at your chest like that?"

Raising her head, Serenity stared at him blankly.

"Ye-ah, nevermind. Pretend I never asked." Shaking his head, he looked away for a moment. "So, yeah... You're planning on using Gideon to stop someone?"

Again, the blank stare.

"Right. So, do I assume it's the same kinda stuff as what he's been dealing with already?" He turned to look back at he again, head tilted to the side slightly.

"... Who are you?"

Grinning, Mato waved a hand. "A sixth... wait. Is it sixth?" Frowning, he tapped his chin with a finger. "Ah, no. Stupid me. It's fifth generation." Grinning again, he waved his hand once more, in the exact same way as the first time. "I'm a fifth generation son of Chaos."

Serenity didn't visibly react, though it was obviously enough for Mato to feel, from the way he smiled at her. "Chaos has not fathered children in over-" Serenity broke off, narrowing her eyes as she stared at him. "You are marked."

"Oh? Yeah, didn't I mention? The Givin shaped me." Mato's smile widened, revealing a pair of slightly rounded fangs. "So, wanna tell me why you haven't revealed yourself to Gideon yet? Or mentioned to him how he's related to you by blood?"

Serenity was silent, as the wind whipped around them both.


	3. Chapter 3

Grinning, Mato waved a hand. "A sixth... wait. Is it sixth?" Frowning, he tapped his chin with a finger. "Ah, no. Stupid me. It's fifth generation." Grinning again, he waved his hand once more, in the exact same way as the first time. "I'm a fifth generation son of **Chaos**."

Serenity didn't visibly react, though it was obviously enough for Mato to feel, from the way he smiled at her. "Chaos has not fathered children in over-" Serenity broke off, narrowing her eyes as she stared at him. "You are marked."

"Oh? Yeah, didn't I mention? The **Givin** shaped me." Mato's smile widened, revealing a pair of slightly rounded fangs. "So, wanna tell me why you haven't revealed yourself to Gideon yet? Or mentioned to him how he's related to you by blood?"

Serenity was silent, as the wind whipped around them both.

"Oh, so typical. Yeah, don't bother telling me what's going on at all." Flinging his hands into the air, Mato turned away, sighing in disgust. "I really do get sick of people jerking others around like that. Fine, keep your stupid little secrets, I'll just follow you around to make sure-"

Serenity simply stared at him.

"Oh up yours. That's what you wanted anyway, wasn't it?"

Again, Serenity made no reply.

"I hate you so much."

"Marin! Are you-" Gideon skidded to a stop, staring blankly. "Who are you?"

A dark haired fellow in a crisply pressed uniform turned to look at Gideon, the reddish tint to his eyes making his stare seem menacing. "... We're done for now, Miss Steel." Turning, the man walked away. "We'll talk after you return."

"Uh, who was that?" Gideon stared after the man, a little thrown off his mental stride.

"That was Captain Kaosu, he was kind enough to lend us a ship for the trip." Marin brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, staring after the man.

"Right... That was nice of- trip? How did you know abou- how did he know about the-"

"What, you didn't know?" Marin smiled smugly at Gideon. "I thought everyone knew."

"I'm confused."

"I'm confused."

"That makes two of us." Gideon tilted the co-pilot's chair back to look over his shoulder at Mato.

"No, I mean, how does the ship travel so fast?" Mato stared out the window at the stars streaking past.

"Uh, it uses the FTL drive, hello?" Marin rested one hand on the yoke, tapping a course correction into the display before her.

"'Eff Tee Ell'?"

"Faster Than Light. Don't they have space ships where you come from?"

"Not really, no." Mato pressed his nose against the window, still staring at the stars.

Sigh. "Really, for someone almost as evolved as Gideon, you're pretty slow."

"Uh, Marin-"

"I'm a Neo-Luddite." Mato turned away from the view, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. "Bleah, think I'll go and take a break." Walking out of the cockpit, he waved a hand over his shoulder. "If anyone needs me, I'll be out."

"A 'Neo-Luddite'? That's a weird thing to claim to be." Finished with the course correction, Marin leaned back against her seat, closing her eyes. "Almost as weird as insisting that you and me take the only two quarters on the ship. I don't care about him, but to make that girl sleep on the floor without any privacy? Jerk."

"Yeah... You have no idea what's going on." Gideon shook his head, staring out the forward viewscreen.

"I know plenty, demi-god-boy." Marin's lips curved into a wicked smile. "We're on a mission to beat those Seekers. And I'm plenty strong enough to take them on too, now."

"It's not that simple. And those two have something to do with the complicated parts."

"You think too much Gideon."

"...You've really changed since you figured out how to blast stuff with a wave of your hands, you know."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Where is he?" Serenity stepped into the bridge, her sundress not-swaying as she walked with that curious mincing step of hers.

"Who, the jerk?" Marin tilted her chair back, languidly stretching her arms above her head. "He said he was going out." She waved one hand at Gideon lazily. "Gideon, be a dear and check where the jerk is, will you?"

Sighing, Gideon tilted up his seat and tapped a command into the control board. "He's... Hm." Tap tap tap. "He's... Uh..." Tap tap tap. "He's-"

"He's what? Spit it out already."

"He's not on the ship."

"What?"

"What?"

"He's not on the ship. The internal sensors can't find him anywhere."

Marin tilted up her seat, reaching for the control board. "You must just be using the wrong commands."

"No, that's not it." Gideon tapped a command into the board. "Here, look for yourself."

An overlay of the small ship's deckplan appeared on Marin's half of the display. "He's not in any of the sections. What about the conduit access tubes?"

"I checked that too, nothing." Gideon frowned at the display. "You can't just up and vanish like that. And all there is outsi-" He broke off, a glazed look in his eyes.

"Gideon? Gideon?" Marin leaned over, waving a hand infront of his face. "Gideon! Snap out of it. What are you thinking?"

A bemused smile crept across Gideon's face. "I think I know where he is."

"Oh? And where's that then, hotshot?"

"He's not in the ship."

"Wh- you can't mean... Don't be stupid Gideon, you can't possibly mean what I think you're talking about."

Here you are.

_**Here I am.**_

What are you doing out here?

_**I'm watching the stars go by.**_

Serenity turned to look at the numerous stars sweeping past the hull of the tiny ship, her bare feet made no sound as they rubbed against the armored plating. Why?

_**If you have to ask, then you'll never understand the question.**_

...Why are you following me?

_**That's a good question.**_

I don't need you.

_**It's not you I'm interested in. I've already met you before, a more interesting version at that.**_

...I could destroy you.

_**No, you could **_**try **_**to destroy me. I very much doubt you'd succeed.**_ Uncrossing his legs, Mato stood up and stretched his arms over his head, still watching the pinpoints of silvery light as they endlessly rushed past.

You have no idea what you're dealing with.

_**No, I know exactly what I'm dealing with.**_ His lips twisted into a smirk. _**You're Serenity. I'd have more **__**trouble with some of the other DN, but not you. Not by a long shot.**_

You wish to gift your life to this belief?

_**Interesting way of putting it, but sure. If I don't die, you have to sleep with me.**_

...What?

_**Hah, that's what I thought. Nobody ever wants to take a cha-**_

I accept.

_**Ah crap.**_

The entire ship shook, rattling around Marin like a leaf in a hurricane. "We're hit!" Leaning forward in her chair, she gripped the steering yoke with both hands, fighting against the wild bucking to keep the craft from tumbling over. The stress the engines would put on the frame if the ship turned over would be immense, considering how fast they were traveling. "Turn off the FTL!"

Gideon hammered a command into his control board. "It's gone!"

"Well then cut power to the drive."

"I didn't mean the controls are gone, the FTL is gone."

"What?"

"The entire back half of the ship is-"

The small vessel suddenly stopped rattling.

"Is what?"

"Uh, it's there now." Gideon frowned, checking the ship's status. "It wasn't there a second ago."

"You're kidding me. Half a starship doesn't just-"

"Hey, it wasn't me, ok? I didn't just blow off the ass-end of the ship, don't blame me!"

Both Gideon and Marin glanced over their respective shoulders to stare at Mato, who was half-dragging Serenity into the cockpit.

"Let go of me." Serenity yanked on her arm, trying to pull it free of Mato's grasp.

"Not until you tell them it wasn't my fault." Frowning, he glanced away from Serenity to look at the two humans. "Seriously, not my fault."

"I believe you." Marin turned back to re-adjust their course heading. "Because there's no way you could have actually done that. We probably hit a comet or something."

"I believe you too." Gideon glanced at Marin out of the corner of his eye. "But only because I doubt you'd want to float all the way there on your own."

"Oh...Well, good then? I guess..." One corner of his mouth twitching, Mato shrugged and released Serenity's arm. "Uh, anyway... I'm gonna... Go... Do, something?" Glancing uncomfortably at Serenity, he bolted out of the cockpit, barely avoiding slamming into the door as it opened nearly too slowly to allow him past.

"Weirdo." Shaking her head, Marin locked the steering yoke into place, and slumped back in her seat.

Serenity silently padded up to stand between the two humans, a sour expression on her usually expressionless face.

"Um, something wrong?" Gideon looked up at Serenity, feeling uncomfortable considering that she was shorter than even Marin was, but probably ten times stronger than himself.

Serenity stared blankly at the forward viewscreen. "I have to sleep with him."

It was a first for Marin. She had never almost-vomited from shock before.

"What're you doing?" Gideon lounged in the pilot's chair, not paying attention to the ship's current course. It had remained the same for the past sixteen hours, it wasn't likely to change anytime soon.

Mato stood in the doorway between the cockpit and the next section, a spoon handle dangling from his mouth. "Eatin' Barvari Chill." Cradling the little rectangular container of thermal-proof plastic in one hand, Mato scooped out an overly generous portion, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Gideon winced. "That stuff has over four hundred calories per cubic centimeter. You just swallowed a lethal dose."

"So?"

"So? SO? If you don't go and cough that stuff up, we'll be pumping your stomach in less than an hour."

"Doubt it." Mato gulped down another mouthful of highly unhealthy frozen confection. "You didn't have to do anything about the last box."

Gideon stared silently at him for a few moments, before turning back to look out of the viewscreen. "I'm going to ask something that I probably should already know the answer to."

"Shoot." Mato ambled over and sat on the headrest of the co-pilot's seat, spooning more Barvari Chill into his mouth.

"Why all the cal-" Gideon blinked. "Energy."

Nodding, Mato shoveled another mouthful, waiting to hear the rest of Gideon's revelation. He was fairly smart to work things out on his own so quickly, and wasn't afraid to admit he didn't know something. _Points for Gideon, five. Points for that annoying blonde chick, one half. Points for Serenity, zero, because she's annoying, hahahaha._

"So, where are we going, and why?" Gideon tapped a command into the control board, bringing up their current course. "It's so far away from the main populated worlds on this star chart."

"Beats me kid." Mato polished off the last of the Bavari Chill, setting down the container and licking his fingers. "**Serenity** was the one who pointed the way, I'm just following along like a good little boy."

"Yeah right." Gideon shook his head. "Hey, how do you do that thing with your voice?"

"What thing?"

Chapter end!

For all those readers who care enough to keep up with this story, I'm really sorry I've left it alone for so long. If it helps any, I've written three novels since the last chapter.

Not good enough, eh?

Ah well. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue this at a more regulated pace, as well as finish off the other stories I've left hanging for so long.

Until next time.


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